Elsevier

Fitoterapia

Volume 76, Issue 2, March 2005, Pages 254-257
Fitoterapia

Short report
Biological effects of indigenous medicinal plants Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2004.12.012Get rights and content

Abstract

The ethanolic extracts of Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga exhibited excellent (100%) phytotoxic activity against Lemna minor. These extracts were also found to possess good antifungal activities against Trichophyton longifusus (65% and 60%, respectively), while in the brine shrimp lethality bioassay were found to be toxic with LD50 of 33 and 109 μg/ml, respectively. These extracts were found quite inert in antibacterial bioassay, while the extract from C. longa, tested for insecticidal activity, was also found to be devoid of any activity.

Section snippets

Plant

Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga (Zingiberaceae), collected in June and April, respectively, from the Peshawar region, Pakistan, were identified by Medicinal Plant Botanist, Pakistan Forest Institute Peshawar, Pakistan, where voucher specimens were deposited.

Uses in traditional medicine and reported activities

The powdered rhizome of C. longa is considered to be stimulating, carminative, purifying, antiinflammatory and anthelmintic .Externally, the rhizome mixed with alum is applied as a paste to wounds, bruises, inflamed joints and sprains [1]. The rhizomes of A. galanga are used as stomachic in China and carminative, antiflatulent, antifungal and antiitching in Thailand [2]. It is used in Asian (Unani) traditional medicine for treating various diseases including diabetes mellitus [3], [4]. The

Previously isolated classes of constituents

C. longa: curcuminoids [6], [7], volatile oils [7]; A. galanga: essential oils, tannins, phlobaphines [8], glycosides [9], phenolics [10], diterpenes [11].

Tested material

Ethanolic extracts.

Studied activities

Antifungal activity by agar tube dilution method [12], antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion method [13], phytotoxic activity against the Lemna minor [14], cytotoxicity by brine shrimp lethality bioassay [15] and insecticidal activity by direct contact method [16].

Used organisms

Fungi listed in Table 1, bacteria listed in Table 2, phytotoxicity against L. minor, cytotoxicity against Artemia salina while insecticidal activity was performed against Tribolium castaneum, Rhyzopartha dominica and Callosbruchus analis.

Results

The results of antifungal and antibacterial activity are shown in Table 1, Table 2. The results of phytotoxic activity are shown in Table 3. The results of the cytotoxicity showed the extracts of C. longa and A. galanga to be relatively toxic with an LD50 of 33 and 109 μg/ml, respectively; standard: etoposide LD50 7.5 μg/ml.

Conclusions

The crude extract of C. longa exhibited a good inhibitory activity (65%) against T. longifusus, while it displayed a moderate inhibition (38.88%) against M. canis. The crude extract of A. galanga showed a good fungal inhibition (60%) of T. longifusus, while a moderate inhibitory activity against A. flavus, M. canis and F. solani (30%, 50% and 40%, respectively) was also observed. A. galanga has been used in traditional medicine for antifungal purposes in Thailand [2].

Both the C. longa and A.

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